Sholay

Jai, Veeru, Gabbar, Thakur, Basanti and even Samba have become eternal characters. The magic that this 1970 classic created is incredible. Every single frame of the film and dialogue are as good as an encyclopedia. The Ramesh Sippy blockbuster ‘Sholay’ had names like Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Mailini and Jaya Bhaduri on board. And the one who made most of the film’s super success was none other than Gabbar Singh aka Amjad Khan.

Bawarchi

A Hrishikesh Mukherjee film of the 1970s, ‘Bawarchi’ focused on Indian family values. Rajesh Khanna played the flamboyant cook whose only mission in life was to spread love and peace and make disintegrated families aware of the joy of living together. With Asrani playing the anglicised musician, Jaya Bhaduri the coy girl and Harindranath Chattopadhyay the loving grandfather, ‘Bawarchi’ is undoubtedly one of the films with stupendous casting.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

The Johars are known for creating a visual extravaganza. And ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ is a classic example. Amitabh Bachchan looks every bit convincing playing the rich and arrogant father to a down to earth son Shah Rukh. And Kajol conveniently plays a next-door-girl from the neighbourhood of Chandi Chowk in Delhi and steals millions of hearts by calling a flower vase a ‘gamla’. Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan aptly fit their characters and not to forget Jaya Bachchan, the epitome of motherhood.

Lagaan

A story set during the British regime, ‘Lagaan’ shows the life of people in rural India and their struggle to cope with the huge amount of unjustified taxes levied on them. Bhuvan, the protagonist of the film is someone who inspires people of his village to fight the British. With rustic characters like Gauri, Guran, Goli, Lakha, Arjan and Bhura to name a view the film turns out to be a beautiful and actual representation of British India.

Rang De Basanti

A film with a revolutionary theme is what ‘Rang De Basanti’ is all about. Dealing with corruption and red-tapism omnipresent on the socio-economic spheres of India, the film portrays characters who represent the youth of the nation. The film invokes in us a renewed feeling of nationalism and uncovers the hidden power the youth of the nation have. Aamir Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth, Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan and Atul Kulkerni are fabulous in the film.

Omkara

When you have a two time National award winner on board and if it is a Vishal Bharadwaj film, it has to be a masterpiece. Ajay Devgn is the ultimate ‘Omkara’ who is madly in love with Kareena Kapoor. But his accomplice Langda Tyagi, played by Saif Ali Khan breaches his master’s trust and ruins everything, including himself. And Konkana Sen plays wife to Tyagi who believes in righteousness. At the end ‘Omkara’ is a timeless film. Vivek Oberoi and Bipasha Basu’s contribution to the film is also worth a mention.

Welcome To Sajjanpur

A satirical comedy by stalwart Shyam Benegal, ‘Welcome To Sajjanpur’ is a film that showcases the complexities of the social life in rural India. In spite of entering into the 21st century, villages in India haven’t yet discarded the age old beliefs that do no good to them. Shreyas Talpade, is one among hundreds in Sajjanpur to have received basic education. He plays a professional letter writer who goes on to become a novelist. The film has Amrita Rao, Ila Arun, Divya Dutta, Ravi Kissen and Kunal Kapoor playing villagers.

Rajneeti

As the title suggests, ‘Rajneeti’ is a film that deals with the political frame of India. Names like Manoj Bajpai, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn and Darshan Zariwala make the film a must watch. Though the film could not manage to garner rave reviews, performances of these actors are not to be missed. And Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Arjun Rampal add the glamour quotient to the film. Overall, the film has a good ensemble cast.

3 Idiots

Rancho aka Ranchhod Das Chhanchhad aka Phunsuk Wangdo, Raju Rastogi, Farhan Qureshi, Chatur Ramalingam and last but not the least Viru Sahastrabuddhe are etched on our minds for ever. Every character in ‘3 Idiots’ was so real that a commoner could easily relate to one on screen. Right from the way a college life was established to the way students end up suffering the overload of studies has been beautifully shown in the film. With names like Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, it is a must watch film for sure.

By Gayatri Sankar